Antioxidants are Stress-Busting Foods: Do You Have Them in Your Diet?

Antioxidants are Stress-Busting Foods: Do You Have Them in Your Diet?255

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Are you on the go, go go and don't have time to take a break? Are you too busy and stressed to do stress-relieving activities? I have good news for you.

The foods that you eat every day can help you manage your stress! Many of your favorite foods are packed with stress-relieving vitamins, minerals and nutrients that can support your body's ability to deal with stress.

Since this is Stress Awareness Month, I have decided to devote a few articles to foods that support the body's ability to manage stress. This article will focus on foods that are high in antioxidants.

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Foods high in antioxidants protect the cells from free radical damage. Free radicals are atoms that have unpaired electrons that damage cells. This accelerates the progression of chronic diseases like cancer, heart disease or age-related diseases.

Eat oranges, grapefruit, strawberries and other foods that are high in vitamin C. Vitamin C is needed by your adrenal glands to produce your stress hormones. So it is important to eat foods that contain vitamin C so you will have the building blocks during stressful times.

Vitamin C can help your blood pressure and your stress hormone, cortisol, return to normal more quickly. Vitamin C is also an important component for boosting your immune system, which can be compromised by constant and chronic stress.

Go nuts! Almonds, pistachios or walnuts are good choices. These nuts are all high in antioxidants, protecting our cells from the damaging effects of stress. Nuts are loaded with Vitamin E, an antioxidant that protects our cells from free radicals produced during stress.

They also contain B vitamins that relax the nervous system. Pistachios and walnuts have been shown to lower blood pressure. A serving size is only a quarter of a cup, which is about a handful.

Eat the colors of the rainbow! The phytonutrients that create the lovely greens, yellows, oranges, reds, blues and purples support our bodies in managing stress. These antioxidants protect our cells from damage and boost our immune systems at the same time.

So eat more fruits and vegetables! Eat more black beans or pumpkin seeds.

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This is an excellent article and it underscores the importance of diet in fight illness. Stress is increasing, I am a Professor at a mid sized University and in my 30 years I have not seen as much pressure and anxiety in the young people as I see today. I highly recommend carrying oranges and other fruit(citric). I eat them through out the day to fight stress. On the University campuses there are been a rise in suicide and depression. Middle aged women have also seen a rise in depression.

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